The Lexicographer's Rules

"Saturday is a great day to get your bomb shelter in order. As my wife and I try to evacuate all the junk that has piled up there since the last time we feared a war (it wasn't that long ago, just a year back, when the intifada broke out), my small daughter is busy making up the list of friends she wants to invite to her birthday party. A weighty question: should she invite Tali, who didn't invite her to her birthday? We discuss the problem, trying to mobilise all the gravity it deserves, just so that we can at least keep up an appearance of routine."

—Guardian. In his hometown of Jerusalem, David Grossman keeps a diary during a week in which his attempts to write a story and current events intertwine. "I keep reading hostile remarks about Israel in the European press, even accusations that Israel is responsible for the world's current state. It infuriates me to see how eagerly some elements use Israel as a scapegoat. As if Israel is the one, simple, almost exclusive reason that 'justifies' the terrorism and hatred now targeted against the west. It is also astounding that Israel was not invited to participate in the anti-terrorism coalition, while Syria and Iran were."'

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